Stake ETH with Lido
Lido converts ETH into stETH, a liquid receipt that keeps earning consensus-layer rewards while remaining usable across DeFi. In January 2026 Lido V3 went live on Ethereum mainnet, adding stVaults — modular staking configurations layered on top of the same stETH liquidity.
For most users nothing about the basic flow changed: deposit ETH, receive stETH, hold it or put it to work, and eventually queue a withdrawal back to ETH. What V3 added is a second track for stakers who need control over which node operators run their validators, what the fee structure looks like, and what deposit, withdrawal and compliance rules apply.
This guide covers the standard pooled path in detail, explains stETH's rebase behaviour and the wstETH wrapper that most DeFi protocols actually want, and walks the withdrawal queue — which is the part people misunderstand most often.
What you'll need (prerequisites)
- Self-custodial wallet (MetaMask, Rabby, etc.)
- ETH or native gas token
- Tokens to stake ETH with
- Familiarity with transaction approvals
stETH, wstETH, the fee, and what V3 changed
When you stake, Lido routes your ETH to validators run by its node operator set and issues stETH one-for-one. stETH is a rebasing token: rewards are distributed daily at 12:00 UTC by increasing every holder's balance. Your token count goes up; the price stays near one ETH.
That rebase is convenient to read and awkward to integrate, which is why wstETH exists. wstETH is a non-rebasing wrapper whose balance stays fixed while its redemption value in stETH rises. Most lending markets, AMMs and cross-chain deployments want wstETH rather than stETH. Wrapping and unwrapping is a contract call and does not change your economic position.
Lido's fee is 10% of staking rewards, split between node operators and the Lido DAO. Stakers keep the remaining 90%. There is no deposit fee and no withdrawal fee beyond network gas; the fee is taken from rewards as they accrue, which is why your realised yield is below the raw network staking rate.
Lido V3 launched on Ethereum mainnet on 30 January 2026 after multiple public testnets, security reviews and a mainnet soft launch. Its central primitive is the stVault: native staking through a user-defined validator setup, with optional stETH liquidity minted against it. Vault owners choose node operators, fee structures, reward logic and risk parameters including deposit/withdrawal policies. Minting stETH against a vault is overcollateralised to mitigate slashing risk. Adoption started immediately — Linea deployed automatic ETH staking for bridged assets and Nansen launched a staking product within hours of launch.
Recommended for this tutorial
Tools and accounts referenced in the steps below:
Step-by-step
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Step 1: Decide between pooled stETH and a stVault
If you are staking a normal amount and want liquidity and simplicity, the pooled stETH product is the answer and the rest of this guide applies. stVaults exist for stakers who need to pick their own node operators, set custom fee or risk parameters, or satisfy compliance rules — that is an institutional-shaped requirement, and it carries setup and monitoring obligations that pooled staking does not.
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Step 2: Open the official site from a bookmark and connect
Staking front-ends are heavily phished because the transaction a user expects to sign involves sending ETH. Type the address yourself, bookmark it, and connect your wallet. Confirm you are on Ethereum mainnet unless you have deliberately chosen an L2 deployment.
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Step 3: Keep a gas buffer separate from the amount you stake
Do not stake your entire ETH balance. You need gas now, and you will need gas later to wrap, unwrap, request a withdrawal and claim it. Leave a buffer sized for mainnet fees during a busy period, not a quiet one.
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Step 4: Stake and confirm the stETH balance
Enter the amount, submit, and confirm in your wallet. stETH arrives approximately one-for-one. If it does not show in your wallet, add the stETH contract address manually — the balance is on-chain regardless of whether your wallet has indexed the token yet.
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Step 5: Watch the first daily rebase to confirm rewards are accruing
Rewards are distributed once per day at 12:00 UTC by increasing balances. Wait one cycle and check that your balance moved. If you see no change, verify that your wallet is displaying the rebasing stETH token and not a wrapped or bridged representation.
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Step 6: Wrap to wstETH if you intend to use it in DeFi
Most protocols integrate wstETH rather than stETH because a fixed balance is far easier to account for. Wrap through the official interface. Remember that using wstETH as collateral anywhere adds that protocol's risk to your staking position — the yield is the same, the risk is not.
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Step 7: Understand the exit before you need it
Unstaking is a request into a first-in-first-out withdrawal queue. How long it takes depends on the size of the queue, Ethereum's validator exit rate and how much ETH sits in Lido's buffer. Depending on congestion and queue size it can take several days to weeks. Plan liquidity needs around that; do not assume same-day exits.
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Step 8: Request the withdrawal, then claim it
Submit the withdrawal request — your stETH is locked and you receive a claim representing your place in the queue. When the request is finalised, send a second transaction to claim the ETH. Two transactions, two gas payments, and the ETH does not arrive until you claim it. If you need out faster, swapping stETH or wstETH for ETH on a DEX is the alternative, at whatever the secondary market discount happens to be.
What Lido costs
The headline number is simple: 10% of staking rewards, split between node operators and the Lido DAO. You receive 90% of rewards. There is no fee on the deposit itself and no protocol fee on withdrawal.
Everything else is network gas: staking, wrapping, unwrapping, requesting a withdrawal and claiming it are each separate transactions on Ethereum mainnet. For a small stake, gas can easily exceed several months of net rewards, which is a real argument for either staking a meaningful size or using an L2 route.
The realised APR floats with Ethereum's network conditions and total ETH staked. Read the current figure on Lido's own interface rather than relying on any number quoted in an article — including this one, which deliberately quotes none.
Security pitfalls
- stETH is a claim, not ETH. It carries smart-contract risk, validator slashing risk and secondary-market price risk. Under stress it has traded below ETH.
- Withdrawal timing is not guaranteed. The queue is FIFO and depends on Ethereum's exit rate. Never build a plan that assumes an instant exit.
- Wrapping into wstETH and depositing it as collateral stacks risks. A staking position inside a lending position can be liquidated even though the staking itself is fine.
- Bookmark the official site. Phishing clones of staking interfaces are common and the transaction they want you to sign looks exactly like a legitimate deposit.
- Verify the token contract before adding stETH or wstETH manually to your wallet, and before accepting a bridged representation on another chain.
- Use a hardware wallet for a position you intend to hold for years — see setting up a Ledger.
- stVaults are advanced. Choosing your own node operators means owning their performance and slashing behaviour. Do not select the vault path for the novelty.
Troubleshooting
- stETH not visible in the wallet. Add the contract address manually. The balance exists on-chain whether or not your wallet has indexed it.
- Balance not increasing. Rebases occur once daily at 12:00 UTC. Wait a full cycle. If it still does not move, check you are holding stETH and not wstETH — wstETH balances are fixed by design.
- wstETH balance never grows. That is correct behaviour. wstETH is non-rebasing; its value per token rises instead. Read the stETH-equivalent value, not the count.
- Withdrawal taking far longer than expected. Queue length, validator exit rate and buffer availability all drive the timing, and periods of heavy exits stretch it to weeks. The alternative is selling on the secondary market at a discount.
- Claimed nothing after the request finalised. Claiming is a second transaction. The request alone does not deliver ETH to your wallet.
- stETH trading below ETH on a DEX. That is the market's price for immediacy versus queue risk. It is not a protocol failure, but it is a real cost if you sell rather than queue.
- Stuck pending transaction. Replace at the same nonce with a higher fee, or cancel with a zero-value self-transfer at that nonce.
FAQ
What fee does Lido take?
Lido takes 10% of staking rewards, split between node operators and the Lido DAO, leaving stakers with 90%. There is no separate deposit or withdrawal fee — only Ethereum network gas for each transaction you send, including staking, wrapping, requesting a withdrawal and claiming it.
Why does my stETH balance change on its own?
stETH is a rebasing token. Staking rewards are distributed daily at 12:00 UTC by increasing every holder's balance, so your token count rises while the price stays near one ETH. If you prefer a fixed balance — and most DeFi protocols do — wrap it into wstETH, whose value per token appreciates instead.
How long does it take to unstake stETH?
Withdrawals go through a first-in-first-out queue, and the wait depends on the queue size, Ethereum's validator exit rate and the ETH available in Lido's buffer. Depending on congestion this ranges from days to weeks. Claiming is a second transaction after the request is finalised. Selling stETH on a DEX is the fast alternative, at whatever discount the market is quoting.
What is Lido V3 and do I need it?
Lido V3 went live on Ethereum mainnet on 30 January 2026, introducing stVaults: modular staking where the staker defines the validator setup, node operators, fee structure and risk parameters, with optional overcollateralised stETH minted against the vault. It is aimed at stakers with institutional requirements. If you simply want liquid staked ETH, the pooled stETH product remains the right choice.
Is stETH the same as ETH?
No. It is a token representing staked ETH plus accrued rewards, and it carries smart-contract risk, validator slashing risk and secondary-market price risk. It has traded below ETH under stress. Treat the peg as a strong tendency rather than a guarantee, especially if you plan to use stETH as collateral.